Kwale County has legalised the traditional brew popularly known as mnazi (palm wine).
The milky natural drink is drawn from coconut trees and is common in the coastal counties of Kwale and Kilifi.
The county wants to collect more revenue from sellers of the drink who have been operating illegally without paying licence fees, said Kwale County Liquor Licencing Board Director Richard Onsongo
We have over 2,000 mnazi sellers in Kwale and this is a booming business. We believe if all of them pay their annual licences starting this November, then this is going to contribute to our county revenue,” he said.
Every seller will be required to pay a yearly licence fee of Sh10,000, amid other health safety requirements to be imposed by the public health department.
For instance, Mr Onsongo said, the drinking joints commonly known as “Mangwe” will be required to have running water and a functioning toilet.
This is because the drink is mainly sold in dingy places or on open grounds.
The joints must be located at least 400 metres from schools. They will only operate between 5pm and 11pm weekdays and 2pm and 11pm on weekends.
Mr Onsongo spoke in Ukunda when the liquor board met more than 300 bar and liquor traders, including local brew sellers to discuss the implementation of the 2020 Kwale County Liquor Management Act.
Its enforcement was suspended following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“For three years the county government has not been getting any revenue from the liquor businesses because the former governor had given the traders a reprieve owing to the coronavirus pandemic,” Mr Onsongo said.
https://nation.africa/kenya/counties/kwale/mnazi-on-its-way-to-your-favourite-bar-3974448